Fall of Odawara

The Fall of Odawara occurred in 1590 during the Sengoku period. Hideyoshi Toyotomi led a large army of 220,000 troops drawn from across Japan to conquer Odawara, the capital of the last remaining unconquered clan, the Hojo. Rulers from across the land contributed troops to crush the last Hojo stronghold, which was defended by just 82,000 troops.

The Toyotomi forces surrounded the castle, so the Hojo defenders dispatched Ujimitsu Hojo and Ujinori Hojo to attack the Toyotomi main camp. Masamune Date succeeded in repelling the two Hojo generals, leading to Hideyoshi and Ieyasu Tokugawa ordering a general advance on the castle. Hojo general Norihide Matsuda was convinced to defect to the besiegers, and the besieging forces rushed into the castle. The Toyotomi forces then advanced into the main ward, where they sought to defeat the Hojo daimyo Ujiyasu Hojo. Kotaro Fuma appeared in the main ward in an attempt to stop the besiegers, but the Toyotomi soldiers succeeded in defeating Kotaro before slaying Ujiyasu. The defeat of the Hojo clan led to the Toyotomi successfully pacifying and uniting Japan.